


Whiskey and You

by darkwings17



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Best Friends with Johnnie Walker, Dean Found a Liquor Store and Drank it, Dean Winchester Feels, Dean Winchester Needs a Hug, Dean drinks a lot, Drunk Dean Winchester, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, Lonely Dean Winchester, M/M, Men of Letters Bunker (Supernatural), POV Castiel (Supernatural), POV Dean Winchester, Post-Canon, Post-Season/Series 15, Profound Bond Gift Exchange: Quarantine & Chill (Supernatural), lots of feels, quarentine
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-18
Updated: 2020-06-18
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:13:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,623
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24783667
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darkwings17/pseuds/darkwings17
Summary: Chuck is finally defeated and Team Free Will is prepared for the next big bad thrown their way. When the next big bad turns out to be something they can't hunt or save people from they're not sure what to do. Turns out Dean is entirely unprepared for what the coronavirus and lock down brings.
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester
Comments: 15
Kudos: 39
Collections: ProfoundBond Exchange: Quarantine & Chill





	Whiskey and You

**Author's Note:**

  * For [PallasPerilous](https://archiveofourown.org/users/PallasPerilous/gifts).



> Wrote this for the [ProfoundBond](https://discord.com/channels/387340156534915092/387340348726312961) gift exchange and had so much fun with it! This is my first time writing something like this (I like my fluff) but I also loved this challenge.
> 
> Here you go [Pallas](https://archiveofourown.org/users/PallasPerilous/pseuds/PallasPerilous) , I hope you enjoy! :)

It’s always interesting how time continues on after a major event occurs. You spend so much of your time preparing for the big battle. Sometimes you don’t have the time to think much about what comes after. It’s just not something that crosses your mind. A whole bunch of ‘what if’s’ is all you have. Of course you don’t want to get your hopes up, so you try not to think about those big ‘what if’s’. So once it’s all over, you don’t really have a plan for what comes after. 

It’s been five weeks since Team Free Will defeated God for the final time. With that win, they finally discovered what freedom was for the first time. Their strings weren’t being pulled from behind the scenes anymore. They were free. However, with the Winchester’s luck, that freedom got stripped away. It happened faster than Dean could say ‘son of a bitch’. The team has faced countless monsters and gods, they’ve even survived most of those encounters. Nothing, no amount of training or hunting could have prepared them for what happened next. 

The Coronavirus. 

The virus has effectively stopped the world. Turns out that a global pandemic is what it takes to shut down everything. Restaurants and bars are closed. National parks and beaches are closed. Even barber shops and nail salons are closed! Everyone has to abide by social distancing rules. With all the panic and uncertainty people were trying their best to stay safe. They're not even supposed to leave their house! Or bunker, in their case. 

There was an upside, though: the monsters that go bump in the night also seem to be staying home. The team doesn’t know whether it’s because there aren’t many people around anymore, people have actually started to think before doing anything dumb, or if the monsters are behaving themselves since they’re no longer being controlled by Chuck. Whatever it is, the Winchesters are happy to finally have a break. That feeling only sticks around for the first couple weeks before they start to get antsy with no new cases coming in

Luckily something finally pops up: a werewolf attacked a homeless man during the full moon. They quickly head out, managing to take care of the case and get back to the bunker in three days. It wasn’t particularly fulfilling for any of them. 

Since then? Dead silence. Demons aren’t even making a nuisance of themselves, now that Queen Rowena put them all on a tight leash. It seems the boys can finally stop worrying about demons. Unless one goes rogue, but they’re pretty sure Rowena would deal with it first. Having the witch ruling Hell has been surprisingly helpful, and the boys are grateful they’re still on her good side. You’d think they would be thrilled with no more monsters to fight, but it turns out they’re just bored out of their minds especially with quarantine lasting for the foreseeable future. 

With nothing else to do except wait, the team ends up going their own way for a while. Sam leaves to join Eileen at her place in Washington, now that Chuck won’t use her against them anymore. Jack chooses to go up to Heaven to work with both Billie and the remaining angels to rebuild the place. Castiel splits his time between the bunker and Heaven trying to pitch in where he can, with research and whatever else Jack needs done on Earth. Dean, however, is stuck at the bunker with nowhere else to really go. He could take Baby for a long road trip, but with everything closed and more states implementing strict rules for the lock down, it doesn’t seem like the best timing. So Dean hangs out at the bunker, doing whatever he can to waste the time away. He remains incredibly bored and there’s only so many times someone can binge watch Dr. Sexy or Scooby-Doo without going slightly crazy. With Castiel as the only other person in the bunker with Dean, he’s the one who gets to deal with a very bored Dean Winchester.

Cas finds himself sitting in the library room reading through yet another book on angel lore, hoping to find something useful for Jack. Over the last few weeks, Castiel has done as much research as he can to help the nephilim rebuild Heaven. For the most part, Billie’s plan has worked out perfectly, but there are some things even she doesn’t know. The angel tries to do his part by reading the countless books the bunker has to offer, with the hopes of finding something that will prove useful. A couple hours into reading, he hears footsteps coming down the hallway and mentally prepares himself for what’s about to come next. 

“CCAAAASSSSSSS,” Dean calls through the hallways.

“In here, Dean,” Cas replies.

“Hey, there you are buddy, should’ve known you’d be with the books,” The hunter pulls out a chair next to Cas. “Whatcha reading about this time?”

“Just another book on angel lore, although this one holds no new information that has proven useful.”

“You should take a break,” Dean says clapping his hands together. “All you do is read these books when we should be using this time to relax and enjoy the quiet.”

“Dean, you went stir crazy after the first week of lock down,” Cas points out with a raised eyebrow.

“Yeah well, I’m making the most of it! This virus doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon, so a man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do.”

“And what would that be?”

“I don’t know man!” Dean exclaimes, throwing his hands in the air. They sit there in silence for a few minutes, staring at each other. It's a tense silence, but also comfortable in an odd, familiar way. Finally Dean seems to come up with an idea. “How about this? You finish whatever you’re reading. I’m going to go grab some beers, make some popcorn, and get a bunch of whatever other sugary crap I can find and then you and I are going to go to the Dean-cave and watch a few movies. I made a few modifications in there the last few weeks and really want to put it to good use. Sound good? Awesome! I’ll meet you there in about an hour!”

With that, Dean stands up and heads in the direction of the kitchen without waiting for an answer from the angel. Cas watches him walk away with a fond smile on his face. He knows Dean has been feeling lonely ever since Sam left to join Eileen a few weeks ago, though the man would never admit that out loud. They all know that Sam deserves some time alone with her, but it leaves only Dean and Cas at the bunker. Castiel turns back to the book and finishes the page he’s on. Of course, nothing he’s read yet has proven useful, but the book could still surprise him.

“ _ Castiel? Something went wrong and I could really use your help, if you’re free. Though it is pretty urgent.” _

Jack’s voice coming through angel radio startles Cas out of his reading. Immediately panic sets in and guilt is quick to follow. The last time Castiel went up to Heaven was over a week ago. They hadn’t made any progress in their goal, so Cas came back to Earth to do more research. He should’ve checked in with Jack earlier. Without a second thought Cas stands up and grabs his trench coat from a nearby chair. Nearly to the garage, Cas remembers his movie night with Dean. There's no chance Cas can stay, not if Jack needs him. The angel rushes to the Dean-cave, but the man in question is nowhere to be found. With no time to waste, Cas grabs the closest pad of paper and pen to write a quick note to Dean, letting him know he's gone up to Heaven to help Jack.

Leaving the note on the coffee table, Cas once again heads for the garage. He hops into the truck he's been using lately and speeds off to the playground. They really need to find a way to open another door to Heaven in case of emergencies. Maybe even open a door directly into the Bunker. That would be handy. Cas adds it to the mental list of things to ask Jack and Billie. Hopefully they can solve all of their issues quickly, so Cas can get back to the bunker.

* * *

Dean leaves the library and angel for the kitchen in search of snacks. He easily finds the popcorn and starts up the air popper before going in search for more sugary goodness. A pie sounds damn good right now and Dean curses himself for not having the forethought to bake one earlier. Next time. He then hits the jackpot when he finds the large container of licorice. Popcorn and licorice. The two of the best classic movie snacks known to mankind. Screw what Sammy thinks about the little chewy pieces of heaven. His brother isn’t even here, so there’s no one to complain about Dean’s choices in snacks. Dean adds unhealthy amounts of butter and salt to the popcorn bowl before grabbing everything and heading for the Dean-cave. 

The Dean-cave has become the hunter’s pet project the last few weeks. With more than just two people potentially being at the bunker, Dean had added a couch to the room, so with the two La-Z-Boys they can now comfortably sit five people. He added a pool table, because why the hell not. The most important part though, is that he completed the bar. It is now a complete minibar with several different kinds of hard alcohols, mixers, wines, beers, and sodas. Dean is quite proud of the work he’s done to his Fortress of Dean-a-tude and can’t wait to show it off to the angel.

He sets the snacks on the coffee table before running back to his room to change into more comfortable clothes. After changing into a pair of sweats he makes his way back to the Dean-cave. Dean has a list of movies he's been wanting to show the angel for a while now, but it's hard to pick which one to start with. Eventually he settles on a classic, Die Hard. Before sitting down he grabs a few beers from the bar, plops down on the couch and turns on the tv, queueing up the movie. Now all he needs is the angel to join him.

Dean reaches for a beer when something catches his eye. There's a pad of paper that most definitely was not there before, with a note scribbled on it. He immediately recognizes the handwriting as Cas’. Which makes sense since they're the only two left in the bunker. Dread settles into his stomach as he can already guess what the note says sure enough the words on the paper confirm his fears.

**Dean,** **  
** **Jack called for my help. I am going up to Heaven to assist.** **  
** **-Castiel**

Short and straight to the point. Of course. No extra details or time frame on when the angel will be back. Nothing. Dean tries really hard not to take Cas’ departure personally. He knows Jack and Billie are working hard to rebuild Heaven and require Cas’ help often, but Dean was really looking forward to a relaxing movie night with his best friend. With a heavy sigh Dean tosses the pad of paper back onto the table and grabs a beer. He hits play and settles in for a few hours of movie time alone. Cas is never gone for more than a couple days, so maybe Dean can try again then.

Cas is not back after a couple days. 

It’s been a week with no word from the angel. A week with Dean alone in the bunker. He has no one. No one except his good friends Jack Daniels and Johnnie Walker. And  _ boy have _ they become real close lately! What else is someone supposed to do when they’ve been abandoned by literally everyone in their life? Younger brother? He chose the girl. Best friend? Chose to go back home. Everyone else? Dead. 

Dean knows he’s not being fair and it’s partially the alcohol talking. Deep down he knows his brother wouldn’t abandon him again. Not after everything they’ve been through the last decade. His little brother deserves time with the woman he loves right now. Both of them have earned it. That’s the only thing stopping Dean from picking up the phone and calling Sammy. Dean doesn’t need to complain to his brother that they’re running low on alcohol after only a few weeks or the fact that his best friend has left him. Sammy doesn’t deserve that. 

The days go by. All blending together in a blur of alcohol and self deprecating thoughts. Each souring the other in a race to an unknown finish line. Two weeks. No angel. The fear of Castiel never coming back is becoming more and more of a reality. It shouldn’t come as a surprise though. The angel helped save both the world and heaven. Of course he would be welcomed back with open arms, no longer having to run and hide from his siblings. With Jack now rebuilding and running the place, it’s a no brainer for Castiel to return to his original home and become the Angel of the Lord he was always meant to be. He doesn’t need the bunker anymore. He has a home. He doesn’t need Dean anymore. He has a family. A family up in Heaven that doesn’t include Dean. 

Dean needs more alcohol. 

Being awake is hard with his thoughts suffocating him the whole day. Sleeping is harder. His dreams, nightmares would be a better word for them, are plagued with images of Castiel leaving him. Of Dean begging Castiel to come back to him. Of Cas telling him the hunter could never mean anything to someone as powerful as an angel. Of Sam leaving him. Of Sam telling him he doesn’t deserve a family after everything bad Dean has done in this world. No one could ever love a monster like Dean. 

Most nights Dean drinks enough to knock himself into an unconscious and dreamless sleep. When he wakes up, at some point the next day, he starts all over again. The only time he’s ever even remotely close to being sober, is when he drives to town to get more alcohol and food (if he remembers). It’s easy to forget to eat when you’re always full of alcohol. Dean feels like shit and he’s sure he looks like shit too. No one in town smiles at him, well they might, but it’s hard to tell with the masks, but he doubts it. They all shoot worried looks his way while remaining their six feet(more like twelve, as he smells like a dumpster) of distance. Once Dean returns home he plants himself on the couch in the Dean-cave with a fresh bottle of whiskey. He eyes the damn pad of paper still sitting on the table mocking him. 

He’s read the damn note countless times even though he’s had it memorized since the first time. Not once does Cas mention that he will be coming back. All he said was he had gone to Heaven. With no return date. The thoughts drive Dean to take a long gulp of alcohol and he embraces the familiar burn as it slides down his throat. 

Three weeks. No angel. Sam called, but Dean played it off as if everything is going great and he’s not actually drowning his feelings with alcohol.

A couple weeks later, Dean has taken to wandering the halls of the bunker while carrying a half empty bottle of whiskey with him. The solitude has gotten to him and he’s very close to going off the deep end. He sings at the top of his lungs, giggling every now and then at how ridiculous he sounds. It's some point in the afternoon, he's been drinking since he woke up hours ago. Dean knows he has completely lost it and has joined the crazies when he stumbles upon Cas walking down the stairs in the map room.

“ANGEL!” Dean yells out stumbling down the stairs to get to his angel. “You’re here!”

“Dean, what's wrong? Why are you so drunk?” Castiel asks cautiously.

“Mmmmm it’s cause you left meeee,” Dean mumbles, he doesn’t like reminding himself of the fact that he’s alone.

“I know and I apologize. Jack made progress up in Heaven, but ran into some issues. Those issues happened to take a lot longer for us to work through unfortunately,” Cas explains, the angel is doing that adorable head tilt he always does when he's confused. Dean loves it so much he starts to giggle.

“Wooaaahhhhhh my imagination is awesome, you do the head tilt thing the exact same way the real Cas does!”

“Imagination? No Dean, I assure you, it's really me. I’m right here,” Worry is obvious in Cas’ voice now.

“No, mmm’ angel left me. Brother too. And everyone else I’ve ever loved!”

The harsh reminder leaves Dean feeling dejected. Having the image of Cas in front of him is making everything a hundred times worse. He doesn’t need a physical reminder of what he can’t have, but so desperately wants. All Dean wants to do is pull the angel into a hug and never let him go again, but he knows he can't. Even if this Cas is just a cruel trick his mind is playing on him, Dean wouldn’t be able to hold on to the real angel anyways. Anger suddenly replaces the drunken giddiness he felt earlier. The hunter turns on the “imaginary” Cas with a murderous glare.

“No. You don’t get to do this. I don’t need a physical reminder of what I can’t have. You need to leave!” Dean growls. Shock and confusion cloud the angels face as he tries to make sense of what's going on. 

“Dean-”

“I said LEAVE!”

Dean storms past the angel into the library and straight to his room. He slams the door shut, not bothering to turn a light on and sinks down to the floor. Anger flows out of him in a flood, leaving an empty chasm behind and the darkness surrounding him threatening to break down his walls. Dean can feel the tears building up behind his eyes, but refuses to let them fall. He should be used to this by now. Years and years of his loved ones leaving him. Most have ended up dead, it’s only the smart ones that left him before they meet the same fate. If he really thinks about it, Sam and Cas leaving him is the best thing that could’ve happened. They’ll be safe now. The thought calms Dean enough for him to get up from the floor and move to his bed. Dean sets the half empty bottle on his nightstand and promptly falls asleep.

Many hours later, Dean wakes from the best sleep he has had in weeks. Turning on his side to look at the small alarm clock on his nightstand he notices something that was most definitely not there when he fell asleep. A glass of water. He could’ve sworn he had a bottle of whiskey waiting for him. Dean also notices he doesn’t feel as hungover as he has the past few days. In fact he feels perfectly fine. With a deep frown he sits up and stares at the water in confusion. He does take a sip though and immediately gulps the rest down with how good it feels on his throat. 

Feeling better than he has in weeks, Dean is motivated enough to take a much needed shower. With the temperature on hot he lets the water relax his tense muscles. He stands under the spray longer than is strictly necessary, but it feels damn good. Dean finds a fresh shirt and pair of jeans to change into once he dries off. With motivation still running high Dean decides he should clean up the place before his traitorous thoughts come creeping back. He strips his bed then takes his sheets and a basket of clothes to the laundry room to start a load. Laundry started, Dean makes his way to the Dean-cave since he has spent the most time there the past few weeks. 

The number of empty beer cans and whiskey bottles scattered about cause Dean to cringe. He really let himself go this time. His little pity party has gone on long enough though. It’s time to get back to the real world (even if it's still on lock down). Dean knew that his brother and angel would leave him eventually. It’s no surprise. He just didn’t expect it to happen so quickly after they saved the world for the hundredth time. With a heavy sigh Dean goes about the room picking up empty bottles and cans to throw away. Picking up clothes and blankets from the floor, throwing away all of the trash, and tidying up the table. That's when he sees it. The same damn note. It’s still sitting there on the table from the last time he threw it. Dean picks it up and reads the simple words one last time before throwing the entire pad in the trash. Those dark thoughts that plagued him for weeks have reappeared with a vengeance. Rushing into him with so much force that Dean stumbles into the chair. 

Screw the real world, Dean needs another drink, and there isn’t anyone here to judge him anyways.

Luckily the bar in the Dean-cave still has some alcohol in stock from his last run to the store. A brand new bottle of Johnnie Walker with his name written all over it. Dean takes a pull directly from the bottle not bothering finding a glass. He wastes no time in taking another sip followed immediately by two more. It doesn’t take long for the hunter to start feeling the effects of the alcohol. It burns warm within him, holding back the dark thoughts from invading his mind completely. When half the bottle is gone Dean’s stomach decides it could use something other than straight alcohol. 

Somehow Dean manages to make his way towards the kitchen. He stumbles every now and then, leaning against the wall for support. When he reaches the stairs, leading down to the kitchen, he misjudges the depth and goes tumbling down. To his great surprise, something catches him before he can hit the floor. Dean looks up and is met with a soft pair of plush lips. He wants to kiss those lips.  _ Wait, what?  _ Maybe he should trip more often if this is the result.  _ No, focus Dean.  _ Looking up a little further Dean finds a stormy pair of blue eyes. He is very familiar with these eyes.  _ Wow, they’re really pretty when the angel is angry,  _ **_focus Dean_ ** . 

“Cas?”

“Hello Dean,” The angle mumbles before helping Dean stand upright. Dean can’t believe his eyes. There's no way the angel is really here. Reaching out a hand he can feel the tough canvas of the trench coat under his fingers, the firm muscle of Castiel’s upper arm, and the rough texture of the scruff on the angle’s cheek. 

“You’re really here,” Dean says quietly with his hand still cupping Cas’ face.

“Yes, I am really here. I tried to tell you that last night, but you were very intoxicated. You seem to still be very intoxicated even now, after I healed you last night,” Castiel replies while squinting at Dean.

Guilt settles heavy in Dean’s gut. If Cas really was here last night then he treated the angel terribly, not even believing he was real, and yet Cas still made sure Dean was safe for the night. Then Dean repaid him by just getting drunk again. 

“I’m sorry Cas,” Dean mumbles, not able to make eye contact.

“Dean, what's going on? You haven’t been this drunk in a very long time.”

A dark chuckle escapes Dean. “I’ve been this drunk for the last month.”

“What happened?”

The words he really wants to say are on the tip of his tongue, but Dean can’t seem to say them out loud. Instead he does the typical Dean Winchester thing to do, makes a joke about the situation. 

“I found a liquor store, and I drank it,” Dean quotes the angel from several years ago. He walks (stumbles) over to the table and settles on one of the stools. Of course, Cas follows him and sits across the table with that same worried look on his face. The room spins slightly from the copious amount of alcohol he’s drunk and Dean can’t seem to fully focus on anything. He feels a slight pressure to his forehead and suddenly everything clears up. The alcohol induced haze evaporates and Dean is left staring at the angel across from him. 

“Thanks,” He mumbles, quickly averting his eyes. That's when he notices the several bags full of food sitting on the table. “What’s this?”

“You were out of food, so I went to the store to replenish.”

“Oh,” a fresh wave of guilt washes over him. 

“Dean, please talk to me?” Cas practically begs. 

Anger flares up inside Dean, causing him to stand up, so he can tower over the angel. How dare Cas leave him for several weeks with no communication and expect Dean to talk to him? About feelings of all things! 

“Why do you even care?” He spits out. “You left! You always leave. It’s not like I can blame you either. Who would want to hang around a guy like me? If I were you, I’d choose angels over me any day. You probably have an awesome life up in Heaven now, with Jack in charge and you saving the world and all. How can I even compare to that? I’m just a lonely hunter who spends most of his time drinking excessively. Hell, even my own brother doesn’t want to be around me! He would rather spend all his time with his girlfriend. Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy for him and the kid has earned this, but he still chose someone else over me. Nothing new there really. It’s not the first time he left me and this isn’t the first time you’ve left me either.” At some point Dean realizes his angry rant turned into something completely different, but he pushes on anyway. “Everyone leaves me! I don’t know what I do to drive people away. What did I do? I promise I’ll never do it again! I don’t know if I can stand it if you leave me again. I can’t stop you though. If you don’t want to be here with me then you can leave. No one wants to hang around a screw up like - ”

Suddenly Dean finds himself pushed against the wall, his words cut off and a very angry angel in his face. Cas’ eyes have gone hard and cool, no longer filled with worry. Dean has a hard time deciding if he wants to look at the angel’s lips or eyes. He decides both is good and flips between the two. 

“Dean Winchester, I am only going to say this once so you better listen to me. You are not to talk about yourself that way ever again. You did absolutely nothing wrong. You are a good man. I chose you Dean. Over and over again, I chose you. And I will continue to choose you because you are worth everything this world and all the others have to offer and I am so sorry that you still believe you don’t deserve to be saved. I’m never going to leave you again Dean, I’ll never make that mistake again,” Cas pleads with him to understand and accept his words. 

There’s only a few inches between the two of them and Dean is having a hard time focusing. The angel’s words cause Dean’s breath to catch. He wants to believe them so badly. Dean can feel his eyes start to prickle with unshed tears. The last few weeks have been hard and draining. His walls start to crumble. Cas must have seen the change in Dean, because he pulls back a few more inches and gently cups Dean’s cheek. The hunter would never admit it, but he leans into the touch savoring every second. 

“Oh Dean,” The angel says softly before pulling him into a tight hug. Dean lets himself sag into the embrace, knowing Cas can take the extra weight. The roller coaster of emotions has left Dean feeling raw. Now all he wants right now is to curl up in his bed for a few hours and sleep. Then again, being surrounded by Cas’ arms isn’t too bad either. The two men stand together for several minutes before Cas holds Dean at arms length, so he can look him in the eye.

“Dean, will you talk to me now?” Cas asks cautiously. Dean nods and without second guessing himself grabs the angel’s hand and leads him back to his room. Immediately Dean moves to his freshly made bed and leans against the headboard. Cas stands awkwardly by the door not quite sure what he should do. It’s only when Dean pats the space in front of him that the angel moves and joins him on the bed. They sit in silence for a while, Dean getting his words together and Cas sitting patiently. 

“I was so excited for movie night with you,” Dean starts. “I even found licorice and had the movies picked out. You’ve been working so hard trying to find something for Jack and I thought you could use a break. It couldn’t have been more than half an hour from when I found you in the library to when I found your note. I thought that you would only be gone for a couple days like normal, so I didn’t think much of it. Yeah I was disappointed, but it was just a stupid movie night.”

“I wanted to join you, I promise. When Jack called he said it was urgent and I couldn’t find you to tell you in person.”

Dean nods, he understands Cas has a duty to Jack and the rest of Heaven. “Anyways, you weren’t just gone for a couple days. It ended up being weeks with no word from you. I started to panic and well... you know me. I thought I drove you away and you were never going to come back. That's when the alcohol came into play. I had nothing else to do to fill my time, so drinking became my pastime. The more I drank the more I convinced myself that I did something wrong. Something that drove you away. You’re my best friend man, I can’t lose you. It would crush me to know it was my fault that you left and I didn’t do more to stop you. I learned my lesson with that one already. I really wanted you here with me, but instead all I had was whiskey. I can’t lose you. I didn’t drive you away, right?”

Cas scoots closer and lays a comforting hand on Dean’s knee, “Absolutely not, Dean. It takes a lot to drive me away, you know that. We’ve been down that road too many times before and I refuse to do that again. For as long as you will have me, I will be right here by your side. I promise to always return to you. Dean, you are my home. I don’t want to be apart from you, we’ve spent too much of our time apart already.”

Tears begin to build behind Dean’s eyes, threatening to break the fragile dam holding them at bay. The hunter can feel the honesty in Cas’ words. He knows the angel means every word he says. It's still hard to convince Dean’s own mind that they are the truth. It’ll take time, but Dean knows eventually he will accept, and believe, what Cas has just told him. He wants more than anything to be home for the angel. Between Sam and Cas (and Baby of course), Dean has everything he needs in life.

“You know I need you right?” Dean hopes the angel can hear the other words hidden in the question. He wants to be able to say that one word out loud, and maybe, in time he will, but for now he can only hope that Cas will understand what he so desperately wants to say.

“I do,” Cas replies with a soft smile. “I need you too.”

There's so much understanding in those few words and Dean  _ knows  _ they are on the same page. He lets a crack in the dam form, and a single tear escapes. Its relief and happiness all wrapped into one small drop. To the two men, it's enough. Cas reaches out with gentle fingers and brushes the tear from Dean’s face. His hand still cupping the hunter’s face, thumb stroking his cheek softly as they get lost in each other's eyes yet again. Neither of them how much time passes and they don’t really care. All they do care about is being together, with the knowledge that nothing will break them apart. 

The two men have never been happier and that’s the moment when the Empty stops by to collect on their deal. Leaving Dean heartbroken and all alone again. 

  
  
  
  
  
  


Just kidding!!! The deal with the Empty is off and our boys get their happy ending together! 

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading y'all! Hope you enjoyed, now its time for me to get back to the fluff!!! :)


End file.
